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Slope ratings. Black diamond, double-black diamond, triple-black
diamond and even yellow exclamation point are the "flavors" steep ski slopes
come in. (See Skier Skill
Levels 1-9 & Slope Ratings.) You can usually avoid such slopes if you
want to. Use the ski resort's trail map to guide you. Recall, however, that
slope ratings are unique within a resort and similar slopes at another resort
may be ranked differently. One ski area, for instance, that had gentler slopes
and that catered to a gentler clientele, had slopes ranked black that almost
seemed to match the green slopes of another resort with more challenges.

Steep slope characteristics. Ski
areas provide access to steep slopes within their boundaries because advanced skiers enjoy the
challenge they pose as they ski them successfully. On steeps an exhilaration a
bit like that of skiing fast can be felt, and a sense of accomplishment and
satisfaction can reward a successful descent as a skier looks back up what has
just been skied down. Some black-diamond slopes are groomed. Quite often,
however, the black-diamond ranked steeps are not groomed but are skied
enough that moguls develop and remain. These bumps may make skiing such slopes easier
than skiing a smoother slope at the same gradient, for the uphill sides of the moguls
provide somewhat leveler spots on the mountain to perform turning movements and
speed management from turn shape and/or skidding and turn frequency.

Skiing steeps. Theoretically, steep
slopes should be easier to ski than gentler ones. There is a greater elevation
drop with each turn and therefore more force from gravity to pull you into the
turns. However, that also generates more speed and more force to deal with at
the end of the turn. Expert skiers can still ski round turns using ski edges and
little skidding on many steeps, but a gradient is finally reached for virtually
all skiers where the skis simply cannot be maintained in that down-the-hill line
in the middles of turns for long lest control is lost. Then skis will be pivoted swiftly from one
direction across the slope to the other, sometimes with a hop into the air so
the skis can be swung even more rapidly around, each turn having the skis land
farther down the slope. In this, the body still must tilt forward out into space
so the ski tails will be up off the slope, else they will catch the snow behind
and upslope on their swing around. Extreme-slope skiers sometimes advocate a
tactic of transferring pressure to the uphill ski with a sort of step there,
thus anchoring the uphill ski before making their leap out into space; this
differs from the normal idea of always maintaining a down-the-hill flow of the
body, but for a good reason. And the force of this weight redistribution must be
gauged against the hardness/softness of the snow so one does not punch in too
deeply and have a ski stick or have one skid out.

Should a skier fall on a steeper slope, a long
descent may start with no way to stop as speed builds. Because steep slopes may
be marked with trees, rock outcrops and even cliffs, if a fall occurs, get up right away. Get the skis downhill if they are not already there, by
rolling on your back and quickly swinging the skis down the hill, then engage the edges as
progressively as time allows so they will not just skid or dig in, and stand as quickly as
you dare, for your edges may be all that will hold you in place. If this
maneuver sounds a lot like the ice-axe self arrest of the mountaineer, it is. A
ski pole or both can be used in the same way as an ice axe in the self-arrest,
but will be much less effective. Of course, rapid edging can produce dangerous
forces on knees, but the risk from that may be less than allowing a slide to
become uncontrollable. Neither do you want to lose a ski in this situation, and the hazard from
a binding setting that is tighter than normal may be less of a risk than if a
ski came off..

Steep slopes may have as much snow on them as
gentler ones, but steeper mountain slopes often are rockier and uneven. Thus
steep slopes may require more snow depth to render them skiable, and even when
the snow deepens, quick course changes may be necessary as obstacles come into
view.

Avalanches of snow may descend from upper slopes
onto ones below, and skiers may start them when they cut the snowpack with their
skis. Ski patrols at many resorts attempt to control the risk from avalanches by
several means. They may ski steep slopes in cross patterns to produce artificial
"fracture" lines in the snowpack, breaking it into blocks that are less likely
to start slipping than would a larger connected mass. They may also use
controlled skiing across tension points to bring down avalanches. And they often
toss hand grenades into snowfields that could slide or fire projectiles from "avalauncher"
guns that explode on impact and either shake the pack and stabilize it or bring
it down so it is no longer such a threat. If you ski steep slopes, always
consider the possibility of avalanche of the slope you are on or onto it from
above, understand the situation so you can assess the hazard, and know what you
should do to avoid it or deal with it. See Skiing
Environment for more information on avalanches.